The Northglenn City Council on Wednesday unanimously voted to file an ethics complaint against Democratic state Sen. Faith Winter after she appeared at an April 3 community meeting in that city while apparently intoxicated.
As outlined in a letter drafted by City Attorney Corey Hoffmann, the city alleges that Winter’s conduct at the meeting violated the Senate’s ethical standards. The letter’s claims include that Winter “failed to uphold her office with integrity in the public interest” and that she was disrespectful to her constituents and has lost their confidence.
Once that complaint is formally filed, it will be up to Senate leadership to look into Northglenn’s concerns and determine if the complaint should be dismissed or if further action is necessary. If leadership determines further action is warranted, it could result in the convening of an ethics committee that would further investigate the complaint and have the option of recommending punishment including a reprimand, censure or even expulsion, according to the chamber’s rules.
The Northglenn City Council first directed Hoffmann to explore filing an ethics complaint against Winter on April 22.
At that April 3 meeting — focused on state plans to open a mental health facility in Northglenn that could potentially house sex offenders — Winter appeared to slur her words when speaking to the audience of 300 to 400 residents. She drove to the event but got a ride home in an Uber, according to a Senate Democratic spokesman.
The day after that meeting, Winter apologized for her behavior and announced she was entering a treatment program for alcohol abuse.
The Senate’s third-ranking Democratic leader, Winter, from Broomfield, has already stepped down from her role as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee in the wake of the incident.
She sent a letter to the Northglenn City Council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, asking for empathy.
“I know the way I showed up at the community meeting was inappropriate and hard for those in attendance. That night led me to seek treatment for substance abuse disorder, which was difficult, especially with the eyes of the world watching, but I’m glad I did,” the letter read in part.
Reached by a Denver Post after the meeting, Winter said she was disappointed the council did not read her letter aloud and did not grant her the empathy she asked for.
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Northglenn Mayor Meredith Leighty said she found Winter’s use of empathy insulting in that context. Leighty and other members suggested that Winter’s struggles with alcohol were an open secret at the capitol and that she has met with Northglenn leaders while apparently intoxicated before.
With Winter term-limited and no longer subject to scrutiny at the ballot box, Leighty suggested that any consequences that may stem from the city’s ethics complaint were Northglenn’s best recourse.
“I would hope based on conversations that I have had with her colleagues at the capitol that they do take action because they should have a long time ago,” Leighty said.
In a statement Wednesday night, Senate President Steve Fenberg said he would continue to support Winter as she seeks treatment for her alcohol use. She remains a valued leader in the Democrats’ Senate caucus, he added.
But once he receives Northglenn’s complaint, Fenberg said he will fulfill his obligations as laid out in the chamber’s ethics rules.
“All elected officials have the responsibility to hold themselves to a high standard and I take any accusation of a Senator’s misconduct seriously,” he said in his statement.